You were promised authentic stories. But what you got felt hollow.
What went wrong?
Look, realistic depictions matters. It’s crucial for seeing some of yourself reflected in the stories you consume.
But in all my years observing media trends and analyzing cultural narratives, I’ve seen attempts at Muslim “representation” fail time and time again.
Because “representation” is only half of the equation.
And without the OTHER half, those stories are guaranteed to flop.
As you may have guessed, the other half is realism and respect. There must—absolutely must—be the right balance between the two.
And that’s exactly what’s missing in Western media’s portrayal of Muslims.
Instead of realistic depictions, we get subversion disguised as inclusion.
For example:
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A Hijabi character with a kafir boyfriend who later realizes she’s LGBT and cheats on him with a kafir girl.
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The “uwufication” of Muslims, stripping them of their complexity and reducing them to neutered, palatable caricatures.
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The constant framing of the region of the Islamicate as the land of “bombers, belly dancers, and oil sheikhs”.
This isn’t “representation”. It’s erasure.
And it’s why so many of us—Muslims and non-Muslims alike—are rejecting these narratives.
But what if there was a way to fix this?
What if you could discover stories that resonate authentically with Muslim experiences while also engaging broader audiences?
That’s exactly what we’ve developed at Tales of Khayr: The 5 Pillars of Authentic Storytelling—M.A.G.I.C.
With it, you can instantly identify which narratives truly respect and reflect Muslim identities—and which ones fall flat.
I recently broke down the entire framework in an interview with Tracy Nicholas from the Folkloring Podcast.
Nobody has ever dug as deeply into the M.A.G.I.C. framework as Tracy. Just look at what she got me to reveal:
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M: Realistic Depiction of Muslims – Our stories feature Muslim characters in leading roles, portrayed realistically and positively.
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A: Authentic Setting – We ground our tales in captivating historical periods often overlooked in Western media, like the Reconquista and Ottoman Wars.
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G: Gripping Narrative – Our dark fantasy adventures keep readers on the edge of their seats while exploring deep themes.
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I: Imaginative World-Building – We enrich our stories with regional folklore, arcane cults, and secret societies.
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C: Cultural Bridge – Our comics appeal to everyone interested in a never-before-seen Islamicate setting.
And this is just a handful of the many game-changing insights Tracy pulled out of me during our in-depth conversation.
Ready to discover how to find stories that truly resonate—and avoid the ones that don’t?
Regards,
Wes
P.S. Here’s some feedback on The Lesser Evil one from early reader named Kate:
“I wanted to like this. I’m both a lifelong geek for all things Byzantine and a recent pulp-sword-and-sorcery convert, so this should have been right up my alley. It had all the right ingredients. But for me, the execution fell flat.”
Kate’s review was honest—brutally so. She called out the confusion she felt when transitioning from prose to graphic novel, the lack of dialogue in the comic, and the unanswered questions that left her scratching her head.
But here’s the thing: Kate also said this story will “live rent-free in my head for quite a while.” She admitted she’s “hooked” and would read any subsequent issues. Why? Because even though she didn’t fully understand the graphic knowledge portion, she couldn’t stop thinking about it.
That’s the magic (pun intended) of Tales of Khayr.
“The Lesser Evil”—Chapter 0 of our Brotherhood of the Wolf series—was an experiment. We pushed boundaries with a greyscale, silent graphic novel section, blending prose and visuals in a way that challenged readers to engage deeply with the story.
And while it didn’t work for everyone, it worked for those who love stories that demand their attention and reward their curiosity.
But here’s the good news: Starting with Issue 1, we’re taking everything we learned from Chapter 0 and dialing it up. Future issues will be fully colored and lettered, making the story more accessible while keeping the depth and richness that made Kate—and so many others—fall in love with our world.
So, if you’re ready for a story that doesn’t just entertain but engages—one that makes you work for its secrets and rewards you with unforgettable atmosphere—then you’re ready for Tales of Khayr.
Here’s that link again to unlock my interview with Tracy Nicholas on the Folkloring Podcast.
